SpaceCamp

The outcome is pretty predictable, but it's done well, and the actors do a good job of transforming general types into individuals whom we grow to like. It is also hard to resist Jinx, the funny little computer responsible for all the trouble.

At almost two hours, the film is a solid 20 minutes too long. [6 June 1986]

Their adventures are not special, nor are their personalities. If young people want to experience a genuinely exciting airborne adventure in a movie theater right now, "Top Gun" is the picture to see--not SpaceCamp. [6 June 1986, p.AC]

A kind of landmark of exquisite bad timing. And that's the most intriguing thing about it. [6 June 1986, p.D3]

Plagued by cliched characters, ridiculous situations, and a bombastic John williams score, SPACECAMP is just not a very good movie. All the stock shuttle footage or good looking special effects proffered can't disguise its tired treatment of well-worn ideas. SPACECAMP is just a conglomeration of overworked notions, coupled with a wholly unmemorable ensemble.

The great looming presence all through this movie is the memory of the Challenger destroying itself in a clear, blue sky. Our thoughts about the space shuttle will never be the same again, and our memories are so painful that SpaceCamp is doomed even before it begins.

This is a two-sentence movie. In cases like this, you're lucky to get three sentences' worth of dramatic development. Like here.